Traps
Throughout the dungeon, there are a variety of different traps. Some of them are instant death, some of them merely an annoyance. For the traps specific to Golden Idols, see the Golden Idol page. It should be noted that enemies killed by way of being thrown into harm's way don't count as your kills. Arrow Trap Exclusively found in Areas 1 and 4, the Arrow Trap will shoot arrows at anything that comes within six or seven tiles directly in front of them. The trap itself is a stone square with a face carved on it. All thrown objects, including arrows, pots, stones, damsels, and skulls will set off arrow traps. Enemies that come in front of one will also trigger the trap, which will usually kill them. Arrows shot from the Arrow Trap do 2 damage. Note that as of version .99_5, Arrow Traps serve as light sources. In the unfortunate occasion that you come across an Arrow Trap without any thrown objects on hand there is a work-around method for baiting the trap with your bombs and ropes. This method can also save you the hassle of backtracking to find a stone to trigger the Arrow trap as well. Spikes Spikes are found starting in Area 1. They are perfectly safe to walk through, but will instantly kill you if you jump or fall on them. They will also instantly kill enemies that land on them. Some useful exceptions are that if you are only one level above spikes you can safely walk off and drop into it without hanging from a ledge, when you are two levels above the spikes you can grab onto the edge of a tile and release (by pressing down and jumping), you can jump while in a spike pit as long as you don't jump at your maximum height and do not have the spring shoes, and using the cape will let you fall safely into a pit from any height. Whether or not spikes kill you may depend on your vertical speed and the speed limit for enemy's is far more strict. For example you can drop a damsel safely while on spikes but tossing her or being dropped from one level up will kill her. A common and deadly feature of Area 2 are the Spike pits, which are inhabited by Monkeys and have an overgrowth of vines. Sometimes you can use the tricks mentioned above to lower yourself into the pit and walk across safely. But otherwise you must jump your way across the vines, all the while, avoiding the wrath of several Monkeys who are hellbent on relieving you of your inventory or worse, stunning you above the pit of spikes, causing you to fall to your death. It is important to note that while the spikes themselves are not treated as a destructible objects in the environment (eg: rock walls, grey blocks), if you destroy the floor that they rest on (whether using bombs or a mattock), the spikes will usually disappear. Spider Web Found in Area 1 and only rarely afterwards, spider webs will prevent you from jumping should you get caught in one. Mashing the jump button will cause the web to rapidly degrade and eventually fall apart. You can also simply walk out of a web either way. Spider webs are randomly generated, and are also guaranteed to be underneath Giant Spiders. Giant Spiders and the Webcannon can also shoot webs. Webs cannot damage you, but can trap you in a position where bats and spiders can easily hit you multiple times. Bomb-displaced Golden Idols and perhaps other items may become caught in spider webs, complicating their retrieval. Many types of enemies can get trapped in spider webs, allowing you to deal with or avoid them easily. Spiders (and their giant cousins), however, are immune to webs. Spear Trap Spear Traps (or Totem Poles or Spiked Totems) appear in Areas 2 and 4. They are two tiles tall and one wide, and have four sets of spears that extend slightly less than one tile horizontally. The spears do 4 damage and will thus usually instantly kill you should you touch them. The only safe place on a totem pole is on top of it. With some degree of luck and skill you should be able to climb a totem pole before the spears shoot out, but it is a far safer option to use a bomb or armed Fire Frog to blow it up or a rope to get on top of it. For those of you daring enough to practice a method of getting up these obstacles without using your limited resources, follow these guidelines: * Try to quickly hop onto and ascend the Totem before it starts its spear releasing cycle. If you are swift enough you'll beat the narrow timing. Note that the Totem will begin to detect you if you approach within 3 tiles of it. * If you have alerted the Totem already, then the name of the game is timing. Standing with a gap of 1 tile separating you and the totem, hop onto it immediately after the top spears have begun to retract. Exposed spears that are retracting do no damage. Climb and take a breather if you make it out alive. It is of passing importance to note that against Area 2 enemies, the Totem's spears will deal 2 damage, allowing you to dispatch of any injured Man-eating plants or Cavemen that might run into them with a single whip. As of version .99_5, Spear Traps serve as light sources. Springboard Springboards appear only in Area 3. They are randomly placed on the ground and can be seen as a raised bump. Stepping on a springboard will launch you into the air, roughly 5 to 6 tiles high. Normally, this wouldn't matter too much, except in Area 3 it does for several reasons, the first being: All of the levels in Area 3 are bottomless, meaning you will instantly die if you fall into the pit. Secondly, they tend to be generated on ledges, and will greatly increase your probability of receiving Fall Damage without the aid of a Parachute, Cape, or Jetpack to slow your descent. Yeti can also be launched by springboards, which can be both unexpected and deadly. Bottomless Pit The entirety of Area 3 is bottomless, and will instantly kill you if you fall. Additionally, as of v.99, if you happen to die on a level of Area 2 where there is Rushing Water, there is the possibility that the next Area 1 map you generate will have a bottomless chasm instead of a solid dungeon floor. This is considered a bug, and is slated for removal in future versions. Falling Platform The thin platforms in Area 3 can only hold your weight for about a second before plummeting, possibly dropping you all the way to the bottom of the level and into the pit. Note that a falling platform can support your weight indefinitely if you hang off its edge rather than stand on it, and that no matter how far the platform falls you won't suffer any falling damage so long as you ride it all the way to its destination. As of version 0.99.8, these platforms kill enemies and destroy spike traps underneath them as they fall. Ice Bridge The "wet fur" level feeling in Area 3 contains bridges made of thin ice. These will gradually melt away while you stand on them, often dropping you onto spikes that lie below, and the Giant Yeti's roar damages bridges as well. Enemies may stand on the ice without causing it to melt. As of 0.99.8, these are also used as part of Area 3's Golden Idol trap, rather than falling platforms. Smash Trap Smash traps, patterned after the Thwomps of Super Mario Bros. fame, appear in Area 4. If you come within range of one, it'll slide in your direction, stopping only when it hits a solid obstruction like a wall. Touching a smash trap's side or bottom is instantly lethal. It's possible to briefly stand on top of one, though, provided it's not moving upward. Unlike most traps, which can be triggered by enemies and thrown objects, smash traps are only triggered by the presence of your character. As of version 0.99.8, smash traps provide light during the "I can't see a thing!" level feeling, making them much easier to avoid in the dark. Interestingly, Smash traps will, befitting of their name, smash through falling platforms. As these two objects appear in different areas, this is a custom level exclusive feature. Sadly, smash traps do not do damage to the Mummy. Lava Behaving much like the water in Area 2, but much deadlier, lava is capable of killing the Spelunker and all enemies on contact. If a lava pit is too wide to jump across easily, try knocking out the side of the pit with bombs to reduce the lava's level. Ropes suspended over lava will burn from the bottom up. Objects dropped into the lava will sink slowly. If you accidentally drop an item into the lava, it may be possible to retrieve it provided you're fast enough and you dropped it close enough to the edge of the pit. Blocks dropped into lava can provide a temporary stepping stone. Lava periodically produces magma men. It also produces light during the "I can't see a thing!" level feeling. Category:Enemies Category:Dungeon Features